1951 – 1962: Indian Football’s Golden Period
Just like Cricket, the British also gifted us Football. The game’s popularity also rose stupendously in the pre-partition era in the same way cricket was gaining its grip. But, somewhere between a poor administration and lack of attention, football lost its relevance and ended up becoming a minority sport in the world’s second most populous country.
But, while the current state of affairs might be underwhelming although it is improving drastically, Indian football too had its golden era when they had international recognition. The 1950s and 1960s were the glory years for the Indian Football team.
During that decade, it ranked among the top 20 teams of the world and had won the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games and finished fourth in the 1956 Olympics as well. This golden period, however, perished very quickly later on but remains an inspiration for the current generation of budding footballers.